


Pots, pans, and sharpie smiles

by omeletshizu



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Barista Lance (Voltron), Brogane, Cooking Lance, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Gay Keith (Voltron), Internet Friends, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith (voltron) is adorable, Lance (Voltron) is adorable, M/M, No smut methinks, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, PINING KEITH, Singer Keith, Slow Burn, bi lance, but secretly, famous Keith, keith is afraid of heights, let Keith be soft, lots of fluff, non-binary Pidge, pining lance, sorry I realized i gotta add this--
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-01-26 12:18:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12557216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omeletshizu/pseuds/omeletshizu
Summary: Lance Loves serving food. He's a whiz in the kitchen and adores the warm feeling he gets when surrounded by those enjoying his creations. But without any drive that won't make any money. He's lost, caught between his passions and his needs and doesn't know if he's even able to accomplish anything anymore.Then he meets Keith.Although popular, Keith isn't used to people caring about him. After being rejected and rejected again by his family and his past, he's unsure what to make of this enigmatic and friendly barista who keeps putting smiley faces on  his cup.It's a good thing they each both have an internet friend to confide in.





	1. Emails, pluto, and firecracker robots

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, This is licorice <3  
> So I started this super sleep deprived and a wee bit emotional so get ready for a tad bit of drama, a tad bit of flair, and a ton of fluff. For a peaceful and fulfilled experience reading this fanfic, try out my soundcloud @Licorice! I have some chill music there. The suggestion of the week is "Airplane mode" By limbo.  
> my soundcloud > https://soundcloud.com/licorice123  
> Enjoy!

 

The family owned coffee shop off the corner of the old redwood highway was one of the most frequented spots by the locals. Its majestic architecture made the building a sloping elegant place, the ceilings high and the door intricately carved with depictions of lions. The building used to be a post office in the early 1880’s and was passed down to the Alteans, and it was appropriately named the lion castle cafe.

 That afternoon in particular was bustling, and Lance couldn’t get a breath in before another gaggle of customers would pour through the doors. The hours seemed to drag on.

 Lance set his last set of cappuccinos for his shift on the counter, his haste making the cardboard coasters slip off the counter and hot liquid splashing out of the tops and onto his hands.

“Ouch!” he hissed, barely taking a moment to shake it off before ringing the order bell. The giggling teeneagers picked up their drinks, thus marking Lance’s last day of work for the week. At least at the cafe.

 “Hey bud did you hurt yourself?” Hunk, his best friend popped his head out from the kitchen, the smell of crisp baked goods floating out behind him.

 “Eh, I’m alright here, Hunk o’ love, go back to your kitchen.” he jestingly made an exaggerated shooing motion with his hand. “My shifts over now.”

“What are you excited for? You got a date?” Hunks lips curled up excitedly, his eyes filling with laughter.

 “Hunk you know me by now, ‘course I don’t”

 “Oh and why not? Aren’t you loverboy lance?” Hunk stepped fully from the kitchen, still holding an oven mitt, his other hand caked in frosting. His apron was covered in the same frosting. Lance tried hard not to succumb to the delicious scent of hunks cupcakes and goodies, no matter how hungry he was, he didn’t have time.

 “Oh shush. I gotta go, bye Hunk!” Lance pulled his apron off and slammed it on the counter, racing off to the front doors. “And bye Allura!”

 “Bye!” he heard her faint yell from the back office answer back.

 Lance opened the door and was met with a gush of stinging cold air, suddenly missing the warmth near hunk’s oven but fondly enjoying the way autumn nipped at his ears and nose. Lance could never truly hate cold weather.

He sucked in a breath and shuffled his way across the street, whipping out his phone. Ten minutes till his second shift at Dennys.

In truth, Allura and Hunk (Especially Coran but he didn’t even want to think of Coran’s temper) would be furious if they knew the other jobs lance had. Everyone at the cafe had known Lance so long that the regarded him as family, and they recognized lance’s habit of overworking himself. So he never mentioned a few of his jobs, so what? There weren’t **that** many.

It was a total of 4 this winter, and all at restaurants. In all honesty, he just loved serving food. He knew once he graduated from college he probably pursue his secondary passion for accounting, and leave this behind. Though, that was less of a passion and more of his parents influence.

Actually, he hated accounting.

He really had to sort out his life.

 The walk  over to Denny’s was short and the afternoon seemed to pass just as fast. In many of his jobs he would alternate from the cook to the waiter, sometimes being that extra worker who’d make the food and rush to be the one to serve. Lance just loved seeing the expression of pure glee whenever a customer took a first bite.

 While working made him feel fulfilled, his cat when he got home was the best part of the day.

 “Hey baby!!” He yelled running over to his affectionate grey cat. “ Oh what a babe, you must’ve felt lonely! Look at you being all beautiful all alone. My beautiful blue~”

 “The way you dote on that cat is so creepy.”

Lance shrieked, holding the cat defensively to his chest and jumping backwards. His chest deflated when he saw pidge, sitting at his desk, not even bothering to look up from the monitor.

 “ What do you know about my precious baby! Oh.” He glanced down at a large bag, a few articles of clothing and cords popping out. “Are you crashing here again?” Lance put down the cat, walking over to pidge with a smile.

 They nodded absently, still tapping away at the keyboard. “Sorry man, there’s no power at my place again. I gave you a heads up over email.”

Pidge, although the most adept at technology, still prefered the ancient way of communicating over email. They pushed it even further (even though they had a phone and were perfectly capable of texting) just to annoy lance sometimes.

 “Okay, just don’t do what you did last time.”

 “What?” pidge looked up, eyes wide and mockingly innocent.

 “The only thing you left in the kitchen was empty gatorade bottles and ramen packets? And you left your weird sciency doohoppers everywhere, and they’d randomly combust.” Lance cringed when thinking about it and Pidge’s lips curved into a grin.

 “You liked my walking firecrackers?” They chuckled, “I can make something even more fun-”

 “NO please, no!” Lance put his hands on pidge’s shoulders, pulling them into a hug

 “Take back the threat or I won’t let you go!”

 “Fine with me weakling!” Pidge raised their arms and struggled, giggles spilling out of them as lance startled to tickle. “You’ll never get it out of me!”

They both ended up on the ground, laughing in a heap.

 “Do you.. Concede” Lance huffed, traces of laughter still in his voice.

 “Neeever” Pidge rolled over and stood up, turning the computer towards lance, “also, you got another email that wasn’t from me. I thought your inbox would be empty, but it looked personal so I thought I should tell you.”

 “How do you know about my emails?” Lance sat up, motioning for the computer.

 "Well I wanted to see if you even open my messages, you loaf.”

 “What a snoopy gremlin you are.” Lance grinned, clicking on his inbox. Indeed, besides five unopened emails from Pidge was another unopened (proving that pidge respected his privacy even though they could easily hack into his stuff) email from [ _PlutoIsAPlanet_ @gmail.com ](mailto:PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com)

 

**Pluto** < [ PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com ](mailto:PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com)>

To me, [ Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com ](mailto:Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com)

I saw your email link in your bio on tumblr. Oh shoot, I mean, hi.I enjoy your messages and recipes you post on you blog? I can’tCook for shit and wanted to know more about the Danish recipe. And maybe also, be friends or smth?

Lance looked baffled at the message for a minute before looking under it and noticing there was a follow up email by the same person.

 

**Pluto** < [ PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com ](mailto:PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com)>

To me, [ Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com ](mailto:Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com)

SHIT sorry it was really late when I wrote that, you don’t need to respond, but I like your tumblr.

 

Lance noticed that the first email was indeed labeled to have been sent roughly around 2 am. He chuckled, already opening a responding message.

 

**Lance** < [ Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com ](mailto:Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com)>

To **Pluto** [ PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com ](mailto:PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com)

Hey man! Thanks for liking my blog! I wouldn’t mind helping you at all! Ask away about any recipe. Also, I’m up for  making new friends.


	2. Suitcases, Fog, and Black Coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! The song of the chapter is "Space Cadet" by the Technicolors  
> :3 enjoy  
> my soundcloud> https://soundcloud.com/licorice123

  
  


California, Keith decided, was way colder in the winter than he expected. This small town he and his brother moved to was nothing like a  sunny california that Shiro always animatedly described. It was covered in ominous grey clouds and fog hung low over the empty streets. Even the buildings, tall or squat, were all large and ominous, filled with strangers. Strangers of whom probably have heard of him and would judge him before he uttered a word. The thing keith resented most about this town (and how different it was from what he expected) was the lack of palm trees and abundance of mountains in the distance. Shiro would no doubt be dragging him up there. He shuddered at the prospect.

“Keith you got your bags?” Shiro’s smile didn’t drop the whole ride. It was infuriating. 

“Yeah yeah, I got them.”

“And your phone?”

“Would you expect me to leave my phone anywhere?” Keith leveled a hefty glare.

“Ok, ok, I get it.” Shiro lifted his hands up in a sign of surrender.

“What do you get shiro?” Keith muttered, pulling out his pillow from the back seat.

“You don’t like it here. And I know, you prefer hot places! But it’s hot here in the summer.”

Shiro hopefully smiled at Keith. “And you need to stay low for a while. This is the perfect town for that.”

Keith groaned.

Another few thousand months until he’d see blessed sun again. 

“Here’s the place we’re staying.” Shiro gestured up to a sweeping apartment complex. Keith could appreciate the nice architecture, and when he looked more closely, the whole town was rather beautiful in a rustic antique way. Every building looked old and impressive. Keith couldn’t decide if he liked it or not.

“C’mon lets go, mopey.” 

“I’m not mopey this place is just-” Keith looked at his home screen, his eyes popping open and his jaw dropped.

“Keith? You ok?” Shiro walked closer.

“Nope nope, I mean yep I’m good.” Keith shut off his phone “Just saw that um, it’s late and stuff”

“Sure.” Shiro nodded and heaved the bags toward the entrance “let’s set up camp.”

 

The next morning wasn’t any different. The weather was still horrible, cold and overbearing. Remembering what was on his phone the night before, he took it out again, sliding it open and staring blankly at his inbox.

It was odd to be what could be considered as an idol when online he was nothing but another person, unrecognizable and untouchable (if he concealed the right information), with idols of his own.

Lancelot was a blogger, and not very well known, but his recipes had gotten a fair amount of publicity. To be honest, it wasn’t the food that Keith was always checking tumblr for, no matter how wonderful the pictures shared were or how tempting the descriptions sounded. He loved Lancelot’s text posts. 

Every day he had something inspiring to say, and it was never short. Keith would stay up late, scrolling enraptured through Lancelot’s poetry and relatable stories. 

And today Lancelot had decided to email him back. His chest felt like it was bursting with humiliation and excitement. 

He looked closely at what he had written, noticing his name was shortened to “Lance” in the return address. 

“Lance” He smiled. It was probably a fake name but he liked it anyways. Maybe he’d make a friend here after all. Unfortunately, it would only be online but he’d take what he could get. 

Especially with how much the tabloids hated him recently.

 

**Pluto** < [ PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com ](mailto:PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com) >

To  **Lance** ,  [ Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com ](mailto:Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com)

Cool. Sorry for messaging you so late. My Name is

 

He stopped typing suddenly, backtracking on his thoughts. Did he really want a friend who probably would act weird if he knew his name? Did he really trust having someone out there message him? Message his personal email?

He gritted his teeth.

He wanted to take a shot, if only to have someone to talk to, albeit impersonally, besides his brother.

 

**Pluto** < [ PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com ](mailto:PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com) >

To  **Lance** ,  [ Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com ](mailto:Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com)

Cool. Sorry for messaging you so late. I tried to make the Danishes but they didn’t..work? Any clue why

 

Sending it, he took off down the road, searching for a place, any place, that could fuel his need for coffee. 

There seemed to be not many people out in the streets so early in the morning, his only companion the remnants of nightly fog.

All the shops he passed were either generic restaurants, breakfast places (he didn’t trust coffee that came from a shop that didn’t expressly sell beverages), and other home businesses. 

“Don’t they have a damned starbucks? I thought California was going to have one around every block.” Keith muttered darkly into his thick fleece scarf.

He was beginning to give up hope when he rounded the block but then he stopped. Before him was one of the biggest buildings in shopping center. It was also at the very edge of it, if he had giving up a moment before, knowing a highway that blocks off the rest of the town was there, he’d have missed it. The whole front was made of marble and wood, the doors showing entrancing carvings of lions on the wood around frosted glass. He could tell this was a very old building renovated for modern use. But the most wonderful thing about it was..

“A cafe!” He exclaimed under his breath. He wouldn’t have to suffer from shiro’s bad coffee again.

He pushed open the doors with vigor, as impressed with the inside as he was with the outside. It was a very nice business.

“Welcome! You came just before rush hour!” A platinum blonde smiled and waved at him as she moved around hastily to gather what appeared to be a collapsed display of european coffee beans. He wanted to move to help, but she swept the bags swiftly into her arms and stood up. “You best grab something quick. The morning regulars start to pour in after seven.” 

He nodded about to head to the counter but she stared at him for an abnormally long beat, making him nervous.

“You look...familiar? Are you a customer-?”

“Ah- um no. I’m new here, excuse me.” He darted to the counter, ready to order something with as much caffeine as possible as fast as he could. 

The Barista swung around to greet him “What can I get you?”

Keith held his tongue for a second. This guy. This guy was really hot.

He had piercing blue eyes and freckled tan skin, but he was also tall and.. Graceful? He carried himself with the poise rivaling a ballerina. His shirt was short sleeved and he could see faint freckles trailing like galaxies up to his shoulders.

_ No gay, not today. I need coffee. _

“Coffee.” He said blankly, embarrassed on the inside that he hadn’t been more specific but-- he didn’t truly know the menu anyhow.

“Coffee.” The Barista repeated in a monotone voice, but he seemed a little amused. “Ok, so black?”

No keith loved sweet drinks what was he doing- “Yes.” 

“For here or to go?”

Keith wanted to stay, to find some reason to sit at the beautiful glass tables, but he knew shiro would have his head.

“To go.”

The barista quickly picked up a cup and took out a sharpie “what’s your name cutie?” 

Keith nearly blanched. He couldn't avoid his name forever. What would one barista even do with his first name and maybe a little recollection of what his face looks like?

Ok. he could do a lot. 

But who cares.

“Keith” He says

The Barista smiled, showing off dimples, and keith could feel the heat rise to his cheeks. 

“Alright, Keith! I’ll have it ready in a minute!” The man turns around, starting to prepare his drink.

Even though keith hated black coffee, he was excited about it.

He sat near the counter, ready for his drink and pulling out his phone. To his surprise, Lance responded to him.

 

**Lance** < [ Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com ](mailto:Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com) >

To me,  [ PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com ](mailto:PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com)

Well, Danishes aren’t exactly the best starting pastry for Someone who can’t cook for shit, but hey I don’t blame You, they are delish! I’ve rarely been asked why a pastry hasn’t worked. One question. Did you add yeast to the dough?

 

Keith froze.

That’s what he forgot to add. That was a classic, and he felt like a dunce. 

He slowly hit his phone to his forehead repeatedly.

 

**Pluto** < [ PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com ](mailto:PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com) >

To  **Lance** ,  [ Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com ](mailto:Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com)

Oh, wow. So that’s why it didn’t work. That now makes more sense. What would you suggest instead? You Know, for a starter chef who can apparently neither Bake nor cook for shit. -.-;

 

“One black coffee for keith!” The barista called out happily along with then ring of a bell. Keith snapped away from his screen and went to take his coffee, attempting a half smile at the barista (hardly could be called a quarter smile), and dashed out the doors.

As he walked home he warmed his numb hands on the warmth of the cup, only noticing halfway that right next to his name in sharpie was a smiley face. It warmed his spirits just a little that cold morning.


	3. Mullets, salami sandwiches, and halloween costumes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is how i found my costume and what i actually wore ;3 enjoy!  
> suggested song of the chapter is "Best of you" by the watermelons  
> soundcloud > https://soundcloud.com/licorice123  
> Happy Halloween everyone!

The guy with the mullet was there again. Keith. He had started to frequently come right before the seven am rush hour these past few days. Lance didn’t complain, though. He was adorable. Sure, a little broody, but definitely lance’s type-100%.

What really made Keith his type though?

Whenever he ordered he came off a little harsh, his words short and biting, and it brushed Lance the wrong way a bit. But despite that he could feel something from him, something insecure and small in Keith. He could tell some part of keith was getting him to hold himself back. But back from what? Talking? Being friendly? 

To top that off, Keith had a cringe-like look of regret set in his mouth and eyes when he told Lance his name. 

But despite anything Lance found inconvenient with Keith’s behavior, Lance realized he was analysing him so much because Keith was  _ interesting.  _

He was also beautiful. That was a plus. He had one of those faces he’d expect on a magazine cover.

Snapping out of his thoughts, He smiled at keith, his hand automatically hovering over some of the takeout cups. Keith was a little predictable. He’d probably ask for coffee, in a blunt, childlike manner. Lance wondered if he knew that the menu was right above them, but maybe Keith just really liked black coffee.

“Coffee.” Keith shot shortly at Lance under his breath as he stood behind the counter.

Bingo.

“To go right?” Lance grinned 

“Yeah.” 

“Lance turned to prepare it, but unbeknownst to Keith he was watching him out of the corner of his eye. And Keith had the most complex mixture of emotions on his face.

He looked uncomfortable, pleased, and anxious all in one. His mouth was twisted down and beneath furrowed brows, his eyes were casted downwards. He looked like a toddler who didn’t know how to make friends on the first day of kindergarten.  

Keith then turned to leave, locating a comfortable place to sit near the counter.

Lance put his attention to the coffee. Before pouring it into the cup he took out the sharpie and drew a happy face, scribbling a couple stars next to it. 

Keith was already standing when Lance rung the bell and sang out “Coffee for Keith!” 

As keith scooped it up and left, Lance held his breath, waiting for it secretly. Then there it was. That little quarter smile.

Lance dropped into a chair behind the counter satisfied. Maybe he’d become friends with Keith someday.

He took out his phone, pleased to see an email notification. He started to type when he noticed a presence behind him.

“Pidge, stop trying to snoop over my shoulder you little menace.” Lance guffawed, pulling his phone closer to his chest.

“I can’t help it!” They threw their arms up in exasperation. “You smile at the thing like a lovesick puppy and I noticed that I  _ always  _ see that it’s open to your email! Your email! You never even opened that for me!”

Lance shook his head at them “It’s just a fan of my blog.”

“That one you post on every day about bread and shit?”

“Uh, yeah but language pidge, you’re like twelve.”

Pidge laughed loudly “Hunk! Lance is bullying me!”

Hunk quickly came from the back “whats up?”

“He called me twelve!”

“You aren’t?” Hunk and lance quickly high fived.

“Well since I’m twelve and not twenty, Hunk, I guess I can’t fix your stereo like an adult could do.” Pidge smirked and mockingly wiped off imaginary dirt off their hands on their shirt.

Hunk gulped and saluted pidge stiffly. “Nevermind, twenty year old pidge, my allegiance is changed.” 

“I feel brutally betrayed y’all.” Lance clutched his chest dramatically, swooning backwards.

Allura came from the back, laughing quietly at her loud workers. “What’s going on here, you guys? You should be cleaning up. And Lance, didn’t you say you had to go or something  this morning?”

Lance jumped up, hurriedly. 

“Oh sweet poppin kernals!” he exclaimed as he dashed to the staffroom. He forgot that he switched shifts to get a morning one for his other job.

“What are you always in a rush for? Hang back a little. Where do you go?” Pidge yelled back at him.

“Uh- Date!” Lance swung his bag over his shoulder, ripping off his apron.

“Finally landed one, loverboy?” hunk laughed as Lance came out.

“What do you mean finally?” Lance chuckled in exasperation, ready to leave.

Pidge swung themselves up on the counter and stared pointedly at Lance. Pidge could always tell when he lied. 

It probably didn’t help that if it was truly a date there was no way he wouldn’t have already spilled every little detail about it to Hunk and Pidge. Hunk shot a skeptical glance at Pidge as well.

“Well, wherever you’re going make sure you meet up with me by five at the mall.” Pidge remarked astutely. 

“The mall? Why?” Lance was itching to just leave.

“Halloween is what, two days away? You need a costume.” Pidge smiled triumphantly “Get ready, you promised I could pick!” 

“I never promised that.”

“Bye Lance!” pidge yelled loudly.

He was so glad to have an out that he didn’t argue any more, pushing his way out of the cafe and down the chilly streets. As he was walking he pulled out his phone, opening his email for probably the fiftieth time that day.

Pluto responded again. 

Over the past few days Pluto and Lance had corresponded often, talking lightly of recipes done horribly wrong at first (who forgot to put baking soda in banana bread? It’s a fundamental ingredient it even had “baking” in its name. He would always cringe when he thought of pluto saying “I thought the baking powder was basically the same thing?” Truly an insult to bakers everywhere.) but then their conversations expanded a little, including a little talk about life and  what inspires them through the day.

  
  


**Pluto** < [ PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com ](mailto:PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com) >

To me,  [ Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com ](mailto:Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com)

I stared at the stars a long time last night. You see I live in this horrible place- an old country town in the middle of Nowhere. I mean, it’s beautiful, but I don’t want to be here. Anyways, the stars are really beautiful in the country. 

  
  


**Lance** < [ Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com ](mailto:Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com) >

To  **Pluto** [ PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com ](mailto:PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com)

I kinda live in the country too!  I sympathize with that feeling, man. Yaknow with the whole not being satisfied With where you are. 

 

**Pluto** < [ PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com ](mailto:PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com) >

To me,  [ Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com ](mailto:Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com)

You’re not satisfied? You’re a really good cook. I can’t even make a muffin.

 

Lance sighed. Was he satisfied? At first he said that only to be nice, this guy seemed troubled. He realised now that there was truth to it. He was attending classes for a degree he wasn’t even interested in, working hard (even though he loved it) at four different places, while hiding from friends that he was doing so, with so small a pay sometimes his water shut off. Considering he was still paying student loans and buying food, the checks from those jobs really didn’t leave much pocket cash. He made sure to always pay the electricity bill for Pidge’s sake though. Cooking, baking, and serving was really all he had going for him. 

It was a little pitiful.

He put down his phone as he reached his destination, a restaurant called ‘Bread Bistro’, and entered through the workers entrance in the back.

It was a lunch place that specializes in decorative sandwiches (lance enjoyed made a big show about making his sandwiches massive and beautiful. He always put finness into his work. Unfortunately, it didn’t give him a raise.)

“Hi, Lotor.” Lance mumbled to what he called ‘boss #3’  

Lotor nodded at him, turning silently to shuffle about with some papers at his desk. 

Lance pulls in his uniform, stuffing his other clothing and bag into his locker.

“Lance,” Lotor called to him from his desk as lance made his way to the kitchen. 

“Yeah, bossman?” Lance answered, stopping in his tracks.

“A customer said your salami sandwich that you  _ improvised  _ on” Lotor hated when Lance improvised and used the word with great disdain. “Was amazing or something... So I added it. Expect some orders.”

Lotor turned coldly away from him but Lance felt a warm bubbling feeling.

His day was going to go great.

  
  
  


“You’re late.” Pidge huffed as Lance ran up to the mall entrance.

“By five minutes, gremlin! Shush!” Lance crossed his arms and pouted.

“Well the store closes in thirty so move it move it, we now have 24 minutes to shop for your costume!” Pidge raced into the mall before Lance. Boy could their short legs go fast.

The store was absolute chaos. Think of how a china store would look like if a bull was set loose in it. Then compare it to this.

This shop had the empty costume bags hanging limply everywhere, some stolen some laid splayed and stamped on. Sealed packages were ripped open, fake blood dripping, wigs torn apart. And people were everywhere, packed in to the brim and clawing through everything.

“Uh, will I even find a costume?” Lance said hesitantly. This was a little crazy but Pidge looked excited. Eyes shining the whooped a bit and pulled lance into the raging crowd of last minute halloween scavengers.

It barely took a minute for pidge to find something.

“This is it.” pidge gasped, holding their chest with a feigned expression of being beside themselves. “This.”

Lance peeked at the package. 

“no . no no no- pidge no-”

“Pidge yes.” Pidge ran to the register.

“Forty dollars???!” Lance gasped. “I’m a broke college student pidge-”

“I got it, Lance I know you’re a broke ass.”

“No, “Lance forked over a twenty. “We’ll split it.”

Pidge grinned maniacally.

“So you’re in?” Their eyes were wide and full of excitement.

Lance glanced at the huge package again. He found himself really, really looking forward to halloween suddenly.

“Yeah. I am.” He nodded.

“We’re gonna be the hottest trick or treaters on the damn streets.” Pidge laughed.

“Damn straight.” Lance smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wonder what theyre wearing? See you in the next chapter!! <3


	4. Cat ears, chocolate, and cough drops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Happy late halloween lol  
> I legit named this fanfic "English paper" in my google drive so that I could work on it while doing homework !!  
> my soundcloud > https://soundcloud.com/licorice123  
> My suggested song of this chapter is "alone with you" By Uzu!

Halloween came faster than expected. For Keith, his last month had gone by so fast it was as if it never happened, he hardly even paid attention to his own birthday.

But Keith just turned twenty three recently. It wasn’t like he was actually going to celebrate. 

He’d buy several huge three musketeers bars and eat them while watching reruns of old movies until he was tired enough to let the tv lull him to sleep.

Now it was halloween afternoon and he was prepared to execute his plan. 

Unfortunately, that’s not what Shiro had in mind.

“Keith you already look different than how you looked a month ago, I mean look at that mullet.” Shiro smiled softly at him. He was trying to be teasing but his facial expression was giving him away, he was worried for keith. “You need to get out, no one will recognize you. It’s not like your face is all over the media anymore.”

“But it’s online right?” Keith gathered his fuzzy blanket closer around him, holding a three musketeers bar tightly in his clenched fists. He was staring down at it dejectedly, like a pouty child.

Of course shiro already made new friends here, He was just that friendly. 

But Keith didn’t want to make new friends, he wanted to hole up quietly somewhere warm and safe and only leave on occasion to get a coffee.. And maybe stare at a pretty freckled barista. 

Shiro wouldnt let him do that though, he knows how depressed keith can get alone, when memories will come back to him in form of nightmares. 

“Hardly. I know it seems like it was a big thing keith,” Shiro sat on the couch beside him and sighed “but the magazines in our area were really the only ones showing that..stuff Keith. You can’t let this drag you down and keep you from being yourself. We’re in a safe place. Likely, if someone recognizes you they won’t even know about what happened, and in that case you could get out your guitar and-”

“Shiro I can tolerate you but shut up.” Keith said coldly, turning away and burying his face in the blankets. He immediately regretted interrupting him. Shiro was right. What happened seemed bigger when he was home because.. 

Keith resurfaced and looked at Shiro apologetically. Shiro only smiled warmly. 

“What is it?” Keith asked bluntly.

“A party.” Shiro’s smile expanded.

“But that would mean-”

“You need a costume!” Shiro stood up quickly “I  got you.”

“What.”

“What?” Shiro walked of briskly.

“No- shiro i don’t-” Shiro was out of sight “WAIt I DOn’T TRUST YOu”

Shiros muffled laughter reverberated against the cold walls of the apartment. 

Keith sat there hopelessly, mouth hanging slightly open. Lately, he hated social interactions. Nothing good came out of it. 

He settled back into his blankets though, calming himself down and looking over at the wall clock. It was three so the party could be anywhere from five to seven hours away. More time for him to watch horrible rom coms. He turned up the volume on the remote and bit into the three muskateers. 

~~~

“A cat.” Keith was still on the couch four hours later. He dozed off at some point and could see a dark spot of drool next to where his head laid on the side of the couch. He couldn’t even bring himself to care.

The last time he dressed up for halloween it was a witch hat in his sophmore year of highschool.

No way was he becoming a furry now. 

“Yeah!” shiro obliviously held up the fuzzy black headband.

“No.”

Shiro stared sternly at him “Keith. Let yourself have fun. Let yourself be human. Go to the party.”

Be human? Keith realized he had been rather distant.

“...ok.” he grabbed the costume. “But can I just wear black pants please, what's with the bodysuit.”

“Sure.” shiro smiled. 

 

Keith regretted agreeing as they pulled up to the party. It was just getting truly dark, the night seeping past every tree, every building. He could hear screams of sugar filled children down every street. He wanted to go home.

“Is this your friends party?” Keith grumbled as he stepped out of the car, adjusting his headband and feeling self conscious about the stiff long tail attached to his jean belt. 

_ I’m not a furry. I’m not a furry. _

“Yep! His name’s Matt and he’s a nice guy.” Shiro grinned. “Don’t drink too much.”

“I won’t.”

“And don’t run off with a guy.”

“I won’t”

“And don’t-”

“Shiro, kindly shut up.” Keith tugged at his fingerless gloves. 

“Ok. go have fun.”

“Sure.” 

Keith took a shaky breath and walked to the booming door, screeches of young adults shaking the front porch.

He’d been to parties before. Every time before he’d gotten trashed, a sappy crying drunk that shiro would drag home. To be fair, he usually had a lot to cry about. 

Every other party he’d laughed and danced and sometimes the whole place would quiet for ten minutes to listen to him sing. 

Every other party he’d enjoyed himself, his only reprieve from the lights and people’s stares. In a dark room he was another sweaty body bouncing to the beat. 

But he knew this wasn’t like every other party and it felt alien to him. 

The scene was the same. People hooting and grinding and drinking. There were so many costumes, some bordering on inappropriate, some modest, and some downright kinky.

This was too much like the city and he wanted out.

He wildly looked around but shiro was gone, he’d departed with a big smile into the crowd with a brunette he guessed was matt.

He needed to leave. 

He turned frantically to the door but before he made it very far, it slammed open.

On the other side was the barista.

In the most ridiculous thing he’d ever seen. 

He was a piece of toast with jam on it. 

“WHO’S READY TO JAM OUT.” He screeched.

A smaller human being with hair like matts and round glasses jumped from behind him with a peanut butter bread costume matching The formers. “OUR DANCING WILL DRIVE YOU NUTS!”

Everyone in the vicinity seemed to know the two and broke out in laughter and warm amused greetings. 

The barista continued to shout “WE GOT BAGS OF CANDY TOO, YA FREAKS!!” The man triumphantly held up two full pillowcases with candy falling out. 

“That’s a lot!” A girl excitedly grasped some candy. 

“You bet we hit two neighborhoods, son!” The two enigmatic people disappeared into the crowd, engulfed by people who seemed to admire and adore them. 

Keith was envious. 

But maybe he’d stay a little longer.

Keith only skirted around the edge of the party though, no drink to occupy his hands and nothing to do but fiddle with his gloves. 

He was an obvious outsider.

“hey , coffee dude!” 

Keith whipped his head upwards, his startled action bringing stars to his eyes. He was standing right in front of him. In a huge, and what would be considered unattractive on anyone else, Jam toast costume. Keith could imagine how that costume would drown out the complexion and figure of any other guy, on him it would look like a sack and nothing less. Maybe a well decorated sack. 

But on this man.. The barista was barely taller than Keith, and Keith knew that. Sometimes he noticed at the Coffee shop that he even ducked his head sometimes when talking to people. An unconscious effort to hide himself, seem shorter and less lanky maybe. It was obvious that the man didn’t see how leith and graceful he was. The Jam toast costume showed off his long and elegant legs and because there were no sleeves he saw more of his shoulder. 

He decided to snap out of his stupor of admiring how beautiful his mocha skin was, freckled and speckled-

“If anything aren’t you the coffee guy? You work there.” Keith tilted his head, the sway of his longer hair partially covering both cheeks. 

The barista replied heartily, the grin getting wider. “Hah! You’re right. I guess I need a new nickname for you.”

“Like what.”

He seemed to ponder about it for a second.

“Mullet.”

Keith groaned loudly, clasping his face with both gloved hands. 

“It suits you, admit it.” The barista cackled.

Keith was exasperated already with this mans attentions.

But the night wore on easily. Their conversation seemed to mingle and lag for minutes before picking up tempo like music.  _ He  _ was like music. 

He was too excitable. Too boisterous. 

He was more alive than anyone Keith had known before. 

This made Keith a little uncomfortable. 

“Wait here I’m getting another drink! Want one?” The barista bounced to the side.

“Nah.”

And then Keith watched as he walked away. 

His feet, keith noticed were usually moving. At the cafe he’d sway to radio music, when walking he sashayed, when standing he bounced, his toes moving to the rhythm of the techno blasting across the room. But maybe the man was calmer in more settled environments. 

Keith was envious. He had been in the music industry and he never felt that energy that radiated off lance. 

But more importantly Keith was envious because This barista  _ fit in.  _

He knew almost everyone and seemed adept at learning how to thrive in every environment. 

Keith was sweating now. He was alone. 

He felt that feeling at the beginning of the party amplified. It had probably been an hour or two since the Barista walked over, he didn’t even know his name ( unfortunately he never asked nor had it occurred for him to, The barista was simply too engaging. Since the man already knew Keith’s name he might’ve thought Keith held the same knowledge likewise), and shiro was nowhere to be seen.

Shiro wouldn’t leave him behind, right?

Keith stumbled to the wall and made his way to what seemed to be the kitchen area but the beautiful barista wasn’t in there. 

His mouth was sore.

He wanted a cough drop.

He wanted to leave.

“Keith? Keith buddy!” Shiros voice shouted loudly at him. Shiro! He was here!

“Shiro..”

“I’m sorry kid, let’s get you home” 

Keith sighed gratefully at the warm feeling of shiro’s muscular arm tightly wrapping around his shoulders.

“Uh- is he ok?” A different voice asked from next to shiro.

“Yeah he just needs rest. See you later matt”

“Bye! Hope he feels better.”

“He will.”

Shiro led him to the door where they exited. 

Meanwhile lance stood in the spot where Keith stood previously. Holding his drink, confused but hopeful the handsome man would return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my soundcloud > https://soundcloud.com/licorice123  
> see you in the next chapter, lovelies !


	5. daydreams, potatoes, and restless nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woowww guys I'm sorry that this came a little later than expected!! Thanksgiving was wILd and I got super busy with school.  
> Here's your new chapter!   
> Song of the chapter: Revolution by Van William  
> my soundcloud! > https://soundcloud.com/licorice123

Lance knew that logically, he shouldn’t be all that concerned about a stranger. He’d only talked to keith what, ten times? Only one of those occasions truly counted and yet he felt truly disappointed without his presence in the coffee shop. It had been three weeks. Not once did Lance run across Keith either in the cafe or out of town. He even stuck his head into several parties to see if just  _ maybe  _ Keith was there. He never was. 

Lance had daydreamed about various hot customers before, but never for too long and it would always just be a mystery person. Some nice customer would see him and be struck by him (he knew this was impossible but he liked a good fantasy) and then he would be lost in a breathless romance.

Keith was the first customer that he felt like he personally knew, the first regular (until now) customer that he had somewhat of a crush on.

He liked to daydream that Keith would come back, sweep him off his feet from behind the counter and carry him bridal style onto the street on his late shift. The stars would twinkle and Keith’s breath would be husky.. from (running maybe? That would be romantic. Running blocks just to steal lance away from work) running. He would mutter..

“Coffee?”

“What?”

“I asked if you made the coffee for that last customer, Lance! They’re giving the stink eye!” Hunk raised his arms up in mock exasperation “Stop daydreaming!” 

Lance sped to the coffee maker so fast he felt whiplash, tearing the cup from off the stack. He prepped the machine and hoped the customer, a business man by the looks of it, wasn’t going to chew him out. 

“Sorry Hunk, Didn’t sleep much.” Lance let out a listless laugh. He actually hadn’t slept at  _ all.  _ He and Pluto would talk in his only available spare time he had and then he was working in the day time (and missing a certain acquaintance who pulled a disappearing act.) 

Last night he decided to post another recipe, with encouragement from pluto, and it had him up until 2 am. Then he hopped back on email to message pluto. Staring at a bright screen in the silent, dark hours of the early morning, reloading the email page on his phone again and again. The lack of sleep recently wasn’t  helping much with his work, and he could feel the bags under his eyes pulling his eyelids down. 

But damn, Pluto was just so  _ easy  _ to talk to. He knew that eventually they should move from email to something more user friendly, like text message. 

Finishing up the coffee, pumping the two caramels shots that was asked for, he slid it up on the counter with a ring of the bell. 

“Coffee with two caramel shots for Steven.” Lance called out. The customer snatched it away with a glare sharp enough to kill. Yikes. Luckily, he didn’t open his mouth as he stormed out. 

“Lance Do you need to sleep? Take a nap? Please just go home, You’re acting like a zombie. You don’t even respond half of the time.”  Hunk lumbered over to him with a concerned half smile. “You’re freaking out Allura too, you know how mother bear she is about your health.” 

Lance yawned in return, leaning into Hunks chest.

“Yeah.. maybe..”

“That’s a definite yes.” Hunks swooped down and lifted Lance into a piggy back ride. It wasn’t the romantic bridal style hold he was hoping for today but he let himself relax into it. Hunk was the best teddy bear. 

“You’re a teeddy.. Beearr..” Lance murmured, letting out a giggle. 

“God, when you’re tired you act drunk, Lance!” Hunk berated him teasingly. “Allura I’m taking Lance home!” 

Even in Lance’s half awake stupor he could hear the relieved sigh from the back room. “Thank all that is holy, I was going to strangle him if he stayed on the job longer!” 

Hunk chuckled as he headed out on the street, Lance on tow. 

Lance let his heavy eyelids droop until he slipped into a heavy slumber, lulled by the rhythmic pulse of Hunks footsteps down the sidewalk.

__

When Lance woke up it was dark. And therefore Lance knew he was fucked. 

He scrambled to his feet, clawing off the covers. He didn’t even get a moment to appreciate how Hunk took off his shoes and work over shirt. He was far too panicked. None of his friends truly knew of his various other jobs, and certainly not enough to call in sick for him. 

Lotor was going to skin him alive. 

“Uhm , yeah Hello!” He sputtered out in a hoarse voice after he slammed the number of the sandwich shop into his phone. “This is-”

“I know who it is. Where were you.” 

Lotor’s cold voice made Lance shudder. Lotor usually ignored him if he was on good behavior for the most part. But everyone knew the boss could be downright cruel to all of his employees, Lance in particular, when provoked in the slightest. 

Lance could play off his coldness at work, because he knew he wasn’t doing anything particularly wrong in Lotors eyes. Missing a full shift without a call ahead? He was damned. Lotor hated Lance missing a shift even with good notice.

Lance could tell that Lotor wasn’t asking a question. He needed a cover up lie immediately. 

“I passed out from fever and couldn’t call!” Lance felt his voice shake with the lie. 

“Is that so.” 

“Yeah, um, I needed rest and my body just shut down..”

Why did he even have this job? 

_ It pays so well.. _

“You will be in early tomorrow for a five shift.”

“What- but-”

“Five. Show up by four thirty sharp.”

Lance could hear the slam of the receiver.

Lance stared at the phone in a bit of shock. On one hand, Lotor probably had someone listening in so he hadn’t put Lance down. On the other, He had morning shifts at the Lion cafe. He couldn’t possibly be there for the full morning shift starting at five. 

But he sighed anyways and dialed Allura’s number.

“Lance? Are you okay?? We were so worried about you, please sleep more!” Allura’s worried and lilted voice poured loudly from the speaker.

This was kind of a good opening, Lance supposed.

“Uh yeah, I don’t feel so hot.. Do you mind if I take my morning shift off tomorrow?” Lance cringed heavily at his own lie. His second lie that night. Lying to Lotor was ok, he guessed though. Lotor lied enough to him (especially about checks.Lotor loved trying to cheat Lance out of fair pay.)

But Allura was too nice to him. Her response gushed from the phone immediately, not even sensing the hesitance in Lance’s voice.

“Of  _ course!!! _ Please sleep fully. Is Pidge there? Make sure they feed you.” He heard a ringing , crash and shout from the other end. Most likely a clumsy customer or waiter. “Oh my. I have to go. Feel better!” 

Lance sighed as he lowered his phone. That settled that. He flopped back into his covers.

As if on cue he could hear the front door being unlocked and what sounded like a bustle of grocery bags and a couple of muffled curses.

Then came the sounds of several bags being dumped on their countertop and shuffling close to his door.

“Lance is your stinky ass awake?” Pidge whispered from behind it.

Lance loved Pidge dearly but could already feel his eyes growing heavy again, so he buried himself farther into the duvet wordlessly.

Pidge shuffled away from the door and Lance could hear the silent muttering from them as the steps faded from earshot.

Now was a good time as any to check to see if Pluto responded. 

 

**Pluto** < [ PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com ](mailto:PlutoIsAPlanet@gmail.com) >

To me,  [ Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com ](mailto:Lancelotthegreat@gmail.com)

That’s super weird and creepy. Sue his ass!  Or quit. 

I’d go ahead and quit, I don’t think a job is worth that.

 

Lance laughed quietly. Pluto always seemed to reach him right where he was hurting the most. He was responding to another boss horror story from Lotor. He thumbed down to the rest of the message.

 

Also I was thinking, do you want to like.. Exchange 

Discords or something? A friend introduced me and

I thought that’d be a fun way to message. 

 

Underneath was a link. Lance’s eyes widened in excitement. Forget sleep!

He’d also heard of discord from Pidge before (let’s forget that they were dragging the program heavily) and thought it sounded fun. He tapped the link, downloaded the app, and hurriedly signed himself up.

 

**Lancelot**

Hey man! I signed up just for you <3 you can thank me later.

 

Pluto responded almost immediately

 

**Pluto**

Lance!! Yay!! 

 

**Lancelot**

How’s my favorite horrible cook?

 

**Pluto**

Ugghh horrible till you messaged me 

 

**Lancelot**

Oh no?? Who do i punch?

 

**Pluto**

No one, I just feel sick. I’ve been living off of three musketeer bars and self pity.

 

**Lancelot**

LMAO??? W HAT?? E AT???

 

**Pluto**

I am.

 

**Lancelot**

Eat real food please?? I wish I could direct message you some potatoes.

 

**Pluto**

Pfftt why potatoes in particular

 

**Lancelot**

It’s something my roommate buys incessantly. I said I like potatoes once and now it’s like they forgot that other grocery items exist. They’re really  _ really  _ bad at grocery shopping.

 

**Pluto**

I don’t blame them. I think I can say with certainty that the chocolate industry benefits from my purchases. 

 

**Lancelot**

Did something else happen?

 

**Pluto**

You know. I just hate social interaction. I feel shitty too, I guess. It won’t stop sometimes.

 

**Lancelot**

I feel that.

 

Lance was jerked away from his phone at a loud knock at his door. He didn’t hear anyone come up. Shoving the phone down into the covers, he croaked out a loud “come in.”

Pidge shoved their way in hastily, arms supporting a huge tray full of.. Steaming food?

Lance felt his heart being tugged apart. Pidge never cooked, even for themself. 

“You up?” Pidge said softly, setting the tray at the end of the bed. Something about pidge’s demeanor seemed like they were trying to come off a little teasing but the concern in their features took over. 

“You’ve been uh.. Looking really tired a lot recently. If there’s anything you want to talk about..” Pidge looked up at Lance with large, pleading eyes. 

“Pidge, you cooked for me?” Lance realized his mouth had been slipping open. In shock, no doubt. 

“Yeah!” Pidge perked up, turning a bit to present the tray. There sat a huge bowl of soup and a plate of hot potatoes and orange juice. Lance peeked over to see that the soup was mostly filled with (no surprise there) potatoes. He chuckled in fondness.

“So I had to look through your recipes, I’m sorry about that, but they’re  _ everywhere lance  _ I mean it’s hard  _ not  _ to look at them, and I wanted to cook something for you especially after Allura called me and she sounded so frantic about you eating a” Pidge imitated Allura’s accent, “ ‘Home cooked meal’ but I’m not as good a cook as-”

“Pidge shut up you little cutie!! Thankyou!!” Lance pulled the tray closer to himself and grabbed at the spoon. He thought he could grow tired of potatoes before. Now, faced with the ones pidge cooked him he was sure he would never get enough.

 

__

 

When four am rolled around he could feel the regret of falling asleep at one that morning. He truly never learned. Groaning he started to dress himself, not ready for the day.That is, until he checked his messages. Pluto had sent him a message a few hours  ago.

 

**Pluto**

I might actually venture out of the house tomorrow.

 

**Lancelot**

Chocolate stash running low?

 

**Pluto**

Woah, you’re up early

 

**Lancelot**

We were up all night!

 

**Pluto**

Haha I guess so. But yeah, and my brother wants me to get out. He thinks I’m nocturnal.

 

**Lancelot**

Are you?

**Pluto**

At this point? Pretty much.

 

**Lancelot**

Best of luck to you my man. Seeing the big wide world might be scary at first!

 

**Pluto**

Oh shut up! I’m just going to go out to get coffee. I  _ crave _ that bean. I haven’t had caffeine in like a month

 

**Lancelot**

A travesty

 

**Lancelot**

Shoot I gotta blast to work, dude. See you later!

 

**Pluto**

Byee

 

Lance smiled, happy that pluto was finally getting out. So far he was under the impression that pluto was going through a tough time and became a shut in. Lance, knowing from experience what it was like to not want to leave your room for days, had been egging Pluto on to leave his cave.

It looked like it worked. 

If only the rest of his day seemed as pleasing. Lance huffed as he slid his work shirt on and sneakily opened his door, creeping quietly out of the house. He couldn’t wake pidge.

Locking the front, he tossed his bag over his shoulder and headed out of the building.

He was not prepared to work today, especially at the dreaded Sandwich shop. But Pluto’s messages, showing that today even he was willing to try something new again and make himself uncomfortable for someone else endowed him with hope. 

After all, Lance sorta needed the money. 


	6. More chocolate, hobbits, and coffee runs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! it's been awhile! unfortunately I got finalssssss AND IT'S KICKING MY BUTT  
> so theres only this for rn.  
> I'll update again soon, prob after I die of studying too much.  
> Song > "Habits of my heart" by Jaymes Young

_There was forgotten moonlight that night. It spliced quietly across the the worn carpet, through drapes that hung and sagged with worry. It laid reassuringly along rims of wooden chairs and plush pillows._

_The moons useless fingers rested upon a shaking woman's shoulders, her head and limbs drawn into her body, as if she were clawing at herself from the inside out. Her form looked broken in the limited light._

_Keith didn’t know when the night had come. It crept into the house mutely, seeping it’s inky quiet into the corners._

_Keith wished the night would end._

_The woman sobbed. Keith couldn’t move._

_“I made the same mistake again.” She moaned. Her voice was hoarse and strangled. The words ripped into Keiths heart, and unknowingly he let out a small whimper, unheard to the other. “eighteen years of disappointment that I had with that man and I do it again. What a mistake. Look, now I have no one.”_

_The wail of an infant split through the night from the hallway, then shuffles across tile, and muted murmurs as the wails became fainter. It only seemed to torment her more._

_Keith was as stiff as a board, his wrist slightly extended as if to reach out to the woman, but his fear of touching her was stopping him._

_Keith was nothing but a mistake to this woman._

_Keith was nothing but  a disappointment, and apparently he was also no one to her._

_He was as good as invisible._

_Little did he know that soon he would only become more of a failure to this woman, to his mother._

_Little did he know it would disrupt everything he was used to in his life._

 

Keith gasped as he lunged forward in bed, his cold sweat dripped over every inch of his body.

He had been so close to a full few hours of sleep that night.

Unhappy with the prospects of a day spent half awake, he turned over to resume his broken sleep.

It didn’t work.

Keith was used to nightmares, they plagued him regularly, but this one wasn’t as bad as the others. He didn’t mind returning to it if it meant he was less depressed due to more sleep in the day.

But his body was awake now, uncomfortable and stiff as he had been in that room.

His _mother’s_ room.

Sighing, he flipped himself over again and grabbed his phone to distract himself before he could plunge right back into that cesspool of bad memories.

Maybe Lance was awake.

To his happy surprise a new message was already lit up across his lock screen.

 

**Lancelot**

Chocolate stash running low?

 

“What’s that goofball doing awake.” Keith murmured in amusement to himself. Over weeks spent huddled with chocolate and his phone alone in his room he’d become attached to Lance.

Lance was a voice of reason to him, a reassuring beacon of hope when he was sleep deprived and hangry.

He lifted his thumbs quickly to text back.

It was decided. He would leave the house today.

Normally, he would have never gotten away with holing himself up and away from society with Shiro in the house, but Shiro had to return to their hometown to retrieve some legal things.

This left Keith to an empty house and room to become as lazy and depressed as a human could possibly be.

It also was great for avoiding a certain barista he ditched in order to have a panic attack.

It was four am, and he would usually stop at the coffee shop at around six so he had some time to waste.

He hauled himself up from the bed, discarding his sweaty clothing as he made it to the door, grabbed a towel, and lumbered his way sleepily to the bathroom.

The front door slammed, shocking Keith as he got into the shower.

“HONEY I’M HOME!” An unfamiliar voice screamed from the entrance. Actually, Keith _did_ recognize that. It was whatshisname… Shiro’s friend from the party. Was his name something like carl? He remembered it being somewhat generic. Keith sighed in annoyance. He was starting to like solitude.

“Shuuush!” Shiro laughed out, getting closer to the bathroom door “Buddy are you in the shower?”

Keith grunted loud enough to be heard from the outside.

There were noises of acknowledgment before he could hear their conversations listlessly blurring into clanking of what keith supposed was cooking utilities in the kitchen.

Keith wrapped his shower up quickly and ran to his bedroom (luckily it was just next door) to dress quickly. Keith never liked it when Shiro brought friends over because he liked his home to be quiet and relaxing. This Carl person seemed too exuberant for him.

He then ran to the entrance, pulling on his boots and accidentally miming the action to grab keys.

_That’s right.. I’m not in the city. Red isn’t here._

Keith let his hand drop disappointed, this had happened every time he tried to leave.

“You leaving?” Shiro waltzed over nonchalantly, as if he hadn’t been gone for the past week. He was wearing a ridiculous apron that said ‘Kiss the cook’ in frilly pink letters. Keith nodded. “Sorry it took longer than expected. You got my texts?”

Keith nodded again.

“Good. Let’s catch up tonight.”

His head felt numb.

“Ok. I’m going.”

“Bye.”

He absentmindedly let his feet guid him across town, thinking tiredly of what his life was now. It was thanksgiving only in half a week, though it only just occurred to him that that day used to be important.

Without his family, he knew it wasn’t. He also had nothing to be grateful for at the moment. Maybe Shiro, actually, but even he grated at Keith’s nerves at times.

Keith would just have to celebrate with more netflix and chocolate hell.

The day was colder than he was used to. He’d only grabbed  alight flannel and he sorely regretted it. His cheeks were bitten numb by the cold and his finger felt like senseless lumps.

In fact, his whole body felt horribly numb and chilled, as if he spent the last few hours in a meat locker instead of strolling through town for ten minutes.

He knew it was worth it as he smelt the luxurious scent of coffee beans and the warmth of the ever beautiful cafe flooded towards him though.

What would he say to the barista?

‘Hey, sorry for ditching you mid conversation, want my number you’re hot?’

No..

‘That party was wild huh sorry I lost you!’

Keith could barely say hi to the Barista half the time, there was no way that he could actually form another full sentence. He realized that quickly before deciding to just act like nothing happened. Then He could brush it off as, ‘I got lost in there and left’ without being a dork and apologizing.

At least this was his plan before he noticed that the familiar man was _not_ at the register at all. He bit back bitter disappointment. In his place was a tall woman with a pinched face and long dark hair.

“Hey hun, what can I getcha?” The girl swayed a little as she grabbed a cup in preparation.

“Uh..” Keith could feel the shame of ashen disappointment in his gut and he blurted out his thoughts too quick to catch them. “Where’s that other guy? The one with the freckles and brown hair?” Keith motioned around his head.

“Oh?” The woman’s eyebrows shot up nearly to her hairline “Alejandro? I’m subbing for him today, he’s awful sick, poor dear.”

Keith deflated. “Oh.”

“So what can I get you?”

“Coffee.”

The woman let out a snort of a laugh. “Aaah, you’re the reg then. Black it is, hot stuff.”

_The reg?_

The woman was gone behind the machines too fast for him to ask any questions, though and he sighed as he backed away.

First time out of the house since October and all he can feel is shame for thinking that he’d get the chance to see a man he practically abandoned while they were talking.

Alejandro.

He thought the name was foreign for a guy like that, but in a way it suited him. Keith guessed he  just expected something lighter, sillier. Just like him.

But now the mystery cute barista had a name.

Keith hoped Alejandro didn’t hate him.

"Coffee for Keith!" She called out.  

When Keith retrieved it he frowned when he noticed there wasn't anything doodled next to his name. He looked up at the girl.

"Will he be back?" 

"I don't know. 'Lura set me up to work tomorrow in case but he was super sick yesterday. you two friends? He collapsed on the job." She sighed "He's such a sweetheart, I hope he's ok."

"Oh." keith choked out.

The coffee was extra bitter that day.


	7. snuggles, caramel lattes, and small coincidences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo sorry this took so long. Honestly Life has been pretty hard right now. I'd blame it all on finals but.. it's more than just that. But after this month my updates should be waaay more regular (and longer!!) <3 thank you for your comments cuties. I have a lot of plans for this, unfortunately not all if it is happy, but this'll have a really good ending, no worries.   
> Suggested song of the chapter: "Ocean Eyes" by Billie Eilish   
> Enjoy!

**Lance**

Yo yo, did your craving for that bean become satiated?

 

**Pluto**

Hardly, wasn’t that good today. But my brother came home.

 

**Lance**

He was gone? I thought he was telling you to get out more because you’re a lazy lump!

 

**Pluto**

Over text, yeah. He went to pick up some stuff we left at the place we used to live.

 

“Who are you teexxtiinngg~” Pidge plopped down on the couch and nudged his shoulder. “Ew, Lance is that  _ Discord?  _ Disgustiiing.”

Lance tried to tilt his screen away from them

 

**Lance**

cool. What’s he like?

 

**Pluto**

As far as brothers go? Good but obnoxious

 

**Lance**

Haha I relate!

 

And boy did he.

“Laaaaaaaaaannceee I’m hunggryyy,” They pulled on his phone a little and started to give puppy dog eyes.

 

**Lance**

Sorry bud I got a noisy gremlin to feed

 

**Pluto**

Then by all means, feed it before it bites you.

 

**Lance**

Top ten anime deaths

 

“Laaance” Pidge groaned “feed your roommate.”

“You aren’t even my roommate! If you were you’d help me pay that stupid rent bill I’m avoiding! Go eat the potatoes.”

“I’ve been paying rent in potatoes.” Pidge huffed indignantly “I have now officially moved in.”

“You have a  _ house”  _

“So?”

Lance smiled at pidge and put his phone down as they snuggled a little into his side. They really were like a sibling to lance, even if he felt bad for saying so. He missed his little blood siblings deeply but they were so far away, and had been for years. He sent money to them and his parents but.. All the while Pidge had nudged their little way into his heart. He wrapped an arm around them.

“So what's for dinner then.” Pidge muttered from his chest.

“Well.. that’s a really hard choice to make pidge.” Lance mockingly raised his eyebrows. “We have.. Potatoes, potatoes, and potatoes. All compelling options. But which is the best?” 

“I didn’t mean to buy so many!” Pidge grumbled “They were just so cheap there and you like them!” 

“Variety is good, pipo”

“Don’t call me that!” Pidge giggled nonetheless.

Lance let the exhaustion weigh on his again, sinking into the couch and enjoying the simple domestic bliss of what felt like a small family in Pidge. He’d probably be crying from all the stress without them, and he knew Pidge was snuggling him on purpose. Classes would start again directly after Thanksgiving and he was already stressed about that. Then there was the awful verbal lashing he received at work earlier that day by Lotor. Not to mention the fact that he was so upset afterwards that he spilled coffee over a patron at his other job, at “Smith’s Coffee”. He figured by the time classes started he’d have to quit maybe half of his jobs. (He was thinking Lotor’s scummy sandwich place at first but the pay was even better than Alteas so.. That wasn’t happening.) He mentally docked away a reminder to quit Denny’s and Smith’s. They weren’t all that worth it but he was stressed to imagine two paychecks leaving his income. 

Lance was worried that morning that Pidge would be suspicious in they noticed he was gone all morning instead of in bed, you know,  _ sick,  _ like everyone assumed he was.. But by a stroke of luck Pidge left early in the morning too and hadn’t even noticed. 

Blue the cat came purring over and curled up between Lance and Pidge, and for half an hour, as tender rain fell  outside of the apartment and caressed the ground below, they forgot about dinner.

__

 

“Lance! You’re out of bed?” Allura rushed over to him in an anxious bustle, grabbing his face between her cold hands. “Oh my are you hot? You’re hot!”

“Why, thank you.” Lance grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. 

Hunk groaned from the back. Allura smiled in exasperation. 

“In all seriousness, I’m all good now, Pidge fixed me up with their potatoes. And I’m warm ‘cuz your hands are  _ ice!”  _

“Oops!’’ She dropped him quickly “Well I suppose you want your morning shift then. Roxanne was taking your spot yesterday.” 

“I guess I’ll have to thank her.”

As if on cue, Roxanne stepped from the back, her pinched face alight with amusement. “Oh honey, Alejandro. You had a cute boy inquiring about you.” She barked a laugh.

While Lance was immensely interested he couldn’t stop from pouting “why do you still call me that??”

“It’s cute.” She poked his shoulder. “Aren’t you curious about the cute boy though?”

Lance pretended to mull it over.

“Well.. your standards are very different from mine..” Lance hummed. “And- ouch!”

Roxanne pulled back to punch again, only to be blocked by Lance.

“Well then I won’t tell you, hot stuff.” She plucked her coat up primly and darted through the door laughing before Lance could protest.

Oh well, he wasn’t too interested in dating right now anyhow. 

_ Unless it was Keith.. _

Lance wanted to slap himself. Keith left him alone at that party and never came to the shop after that. There was no use lamenting what wouldn’t be.

Even if he really, really wanted it.

“Okay, I’m ready for labor.” He turned to Allura with a grin.

“Good!”

The shift was slow that morning, and he couldn’t imagine it getting exciting until a customer with a prosthetic arm and white hair came in.

Sure, He’d seen plenty of different people come in. The town was full of openly LGBTQ people milling about, and sometimes they’d get creative, especially around the pride parade. But he’d never seen a fully robotic arm as beautifully sculpted. He looked like he was straight out of a manga.What if he was a superhero? He focused on not staring.

“Hello, what can I get you?” Lance greeted him with a smile. 

“A medium black coffee and a small caramel latte with two pumps, please. ” He smiled back.

“Gotcha!” Lance grabbed the cups and pulled out a pen. “May I get your name?” 

“Shiro.”

Shiro loiters a little until Lance places the cups back down, filled and steamy. Shiro swoops them off the counter.

Then, arms full of coffee, his eyes narrowed at Lance.

“Wait..” Shiro mumbled.

“Sir?” 

“Are you the piece of toast that was talking to Keith at the party?” Shiro scrambled to put down the coffees back on the counter and stuck his non-prosthetic hand out. “I’m his brother, I’m sorry he had to leave so suddenly.”

Lance couldn’t help it. Of all small coincidences, he laughed. 

Still doubling over on himself, he clasped shiro’s hand and shook it happily.

“You saw us?”

“Oh I kept an eye on him occasionally. He can get lost but I’m glad you kept him near the door so long.” Shiro ducked his head and gasped at his watch. “Shoot, I gotta go. Thanks!”

And he started to grab the drinks up.

Lance couldn’t help but think of the black coffee, that was for Keith, wasn’t it?

“Wait!” Lance stumbled to scoop up a sharpie. “Can I see the black coffee?”

Shiro tilted his head quizzically before holding it out. 

Lance bent over the counter and quickly doodled a wide happy face and several hearts.

“Have a nice day!” Lance leaned back, smiling. 

Shiro looked a tad confused, but pleased as he rushed off.

  
  



	8. Thoughts, jobs, and tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii people!  
> Sorry, i'll actually post more now..it's just that life got really hard recently and I didn't know how to handle it. I had no time to write and I didn't know if I could bring myself to again. Looking at recent comments changed that feeling❤ Thankyou everyone who is still reading this for being patient with me, this WILL get finished and new chapter will come soon! Love you all! This fanfic is a bit of a slow burn but the bois will kiss eventually and it will be happy real soon don't worry! Check out my sound cloud and the song of the day is ... Go to soundcloud and my recent repost is it!

Nightmares, of course, were normal for Keith. The thoughts that flooded his brain like acid wasn't as common, but he still expected them.

Sometimes he'd just forget why he decided to get up, what the point of leaving his bed was, and what he really contributed for those he knew. A large part of him supplemented an answer:

nothing. There was nothing driving him, he had no great ambitions to strive for anymore, and friends? Shiro was there out of obligation.

He tried to avoid these thoughts.

but they just kept coming.

It was almost afternoon, and a rational part of him was urging himself to get on his feet and do something.. But do what?

He was now unemployed, not in any form of education, and had no hobbies he wanted to indulge in anymore.

Just as his thoughts were taking another turn for the worst, he door slammed open suddenly and Keith bolted upright in bed.

"Am I the best brother ever or what? I found the coffee place you were slinking off to!" Shiro grinned down at a startled Keith, and Keith was envious. Envious of how happy shiro looked here, in a new environment but obviously reveling in it. "I got you a super sweet drink, just as you like it. Dunno how you stomach that stuff."

Shiro handed him a cup and Keith looked down at it sadly, hesitantly picking it up and sipping it. Shiro was right, he didn't understand how he stomached this in the past either. Maybe he was just so used to black coffee now that he had grown a taste for it.

"I also saw that guy that you were talking to at the party!"

Keith nearly spit out his drink "WHAT."

"Yeah! What's his name- the toast guy. He was really nice and.. pretty? I can see why you liked him. He even drew little hearts and a happy face on my cup!" He triumphantly held up another cup, one with Alejandro's familiar doodles gracing the sides, and something odd in Keith flared inside of him. Why would Alejandro draw things for shiro and not for him? Was he mad at Keith? Or maybe that coffee- since Alejandro thought he liked black (well he supposed he did now) was that meant for Keith? It made Keith want to snatch the cup away for himself, whichever it was.

The too-sweet drink in his hand felt alien.

"Uh- sorry shiro I think I lost affinity to sweet coffee." Keith muttered.

"Oh. Really? Shoot sorry I should have asked."

"No no! It's fine, I just don't want to waste this. Is your friend around? Does he like coffee?"

Shiro beamed "oh Matt would be ecstatic if you gave that to him!"

Oh, Matt. That was his name.

He handed shiro the cup with a nod "but I like black coffee if you have a run again."

"BLACK?" Shiro blanched loudly "seriously? What a one-eighty, that's crazy. But I'll get that next time." Shiro took a hold of the cup and turned to leave.

"Wait- shiro." Keith nearly stuttered.

Ask for his coffee. Ask for his coffee.

Silence hung heavily around them for a moment.

"I think it's time I get a job here." He didnt mean to blurt that out instead but it was true. He needed to get out of the house, and thus get out of his head. He was still aching to ask for that cup, but with how hyped shiro seemed it would be fruitless to ask for a nearly empty cup just because of some doodles.

Shiro looked mystified, his mouth was tilting open and his eyes stretched wide, eyebrows shot up. It wasn't that un characteristic of him to seriously just want to get out if the house, was it? He'd gone out to coffee before. But perhaps Shiro was mystified because Keith had left the house, sure, but he had never done anything that attempted rebuilding his life. Maybe that was something he'd have to amend.

"Hum, well, that's a very mature step forward Keith. I'm proud of you."

"No need to switch to dad-shiro mode, Shiro."

"Yeah yeah- I just... Ever since that" shiro had always mentioned what happened a little vaguely before, but this time the word held more emphasis. "... happened you didn't seem like you had any momentum. I don't blame you. I wish you'd tell me what.. Everything about it, but I won't push you because I know how it feels to have something like this looming over you from your past and not being able to talk about it. I'm sorry if I seemed uninterested or something, I just don't want to push you."

Keith didn't know what to say. Honestly, that was the longest shiro had spoken with such a sincere tone in a while. It was obvious to Keith that it was his attempt to cheer him up, forget their hometown and what happened, but he missed being able to talk seriously about things with the man. he chuckled a little and patted his bed, shiro took his chance immediately and sat beside him.

"I just want to get some bucks at Denny's or something, it's not that big. I.. I don't feel like talking about it. It's nothing to do with you."

Shiro scrambled for a response "I get that! Totally! I just want to know how I can help you."

There was silence for a few beats, it wasn't uncomfortable though and Keith leant back on a pillow.

"Well." Keith chewed his lip. "I just want you around."

Shiro nodded solemnly "ok. I can do that. Of course."

Another beat of silence.

"And the rest of your coffee."

That was also easily arranged, if not with a little knowing snark from shiro.

Keith wasn't ready to open up yet, and Shiro wasn't sure how to take care of him, or what Keith wanted with his future.

But even if they were both unsure, as Keith finished the last quarter of Shiros bitter coffee, at least it was a step forward.

~

Keith looked down at his phone, a little unhappy.

"Should I really be applying for this? This place looks-"

"I know, I know. But I heard the workers get paid big bucks!"

"I don't exactly need that much money, Shiro." He really didn't. He had made much money off of his old career and he'd always been a penny pincher. He'd be holding a two dollar object and decide not to get it, knowing full well he had over two hundred dollars in his pocket alone. So rent and whatnot wasn't anything he sweated over, especially with shiro paying half.

Him saying he wanted some bucks was a stretch, an excuse to move on a bit with his life. But the place wasn't petty "bucks" it was more like what Shiro referred to as "mulah".

"You won't get that much money at first, I guess, but the place is pretty right?" Shiro pushed a reluctant and gloomy Keith through the door, and Keith realized his mistake. Here he was in this ritzy sandwich place with its high glossy tables and padded lounge seats and Keith is being pushed in in all his red plaid and jeans glory.

"I can walk sh-"

"Are you Keith? The new worker?" A lanky yet elegant woman interrupted their odd squabbling and Keith halted his blubbered protest to shiro with comical timing, righting himself as pretending to brush off dust from his plaid.

Why plaid, of all things, and all days??

"We hope so!" Shiro answered for him.

"You.. Hope that you're Keith..?" The woman looked skeptical, eying both of them up and down.

"Ah.. No- he's here for his interview." Shiro looked sheepish as his joke was lost on the woman, and in all honesty lost on Keith too. Keith stepped forward, ready for instruction.

"Well. First you should meet the boss. His name is Lotor but only what we call veteran employers can call him that. So you'd do best to just call him sir or 'mr.Galra' But I believe he prefers the former." She talked awfully fast in a nasally and pinched voice, her demeanor left Keith uncomfortable and he didn't fail to notice how shiro trailed off behind him, disappearing into the front of the shop.

"And what should I call you?" Keith asked, not sure if everyone had respective names.

She laughed mockingly, and perhaps a little bitterly.

"If you stay you sure won't be talking to me." She looked a little smug. "Only veterans can man the floors. You'll probably be a bus boy. You won't last a week under Lotor."

Eventually they reach an office, Keith still uncomfortable and now fidgeting with his shirt pocket as they reached the back office.

"Go on." She pushed him lightly to the door.

As he raised a fist to knock the door plummeted open, slamming against the wall to leave in plain sight a distraught and sniffling Alejandro.

Keith choked a little. He was still as cute looking as ever, but his eyes looked a little red and tears that he quickly hid were rolling down his red and lightly freckled cheeks.

"Come back in." A cold voice commanded and Alejandro whipped his head back a little to glance at the office Keith couldn't see fully. Alejandro delicately but quickly grabbed the door again and closed it behind him as he walked back into the frigid space that was probably his new bosses office.

"What.."

The woman rolled her eyes and huffed. "That's one of our chefs and waiters. He's pretty and skilled but so emotional you have no idea." She laughed cruelly "dated him for a hot sec but he's too soft and like, clingy."

Something hot surged silently in his chest. It begged for release, for something to punch, he wanted to go in the office and hug the tan boy. But his legs felt frozen.

"Why was he crying?"

"Oh he probably can't take a little critique." She flipped her wrist at him and turned as if to walk away.

"Well, it seems Lotor is busy right now so i'll just let you know that Lotor already gave you the job, the interview is for formalities but he already looked into you."

Just that statement alone made that hot anger in him start to frost over in dread. Looked into?

"Show up at 5 am tomorrow. You're shift will end at 12."

"AM??" He spat a little. He wanted to get out but man, getting coffee early is ok but working would be awful at such an hour.

"Yes, now scram."

Keith had a really hard time doing that, especially knowing someone he was concerned about stood crying just the room over.

But he willed his legs to move from what wasn't his business, and he found his way coldly to Shiro in the front.

He hoped Alejandro would be there tomorrow.

But.. Didn't he work at the coffee shop?

Why was he a veteran at a place with such long hours?

 

 


	9. Shame, blame, and misdirected anger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> O o p s

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovelies!!! Guess what!! My birthday is next Sunday!!  
> I'm so excited!  
> Tbh I kinda forgot about it until now and my friends reminded me but I'm just so excited to turn old (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))  
> Ok so sorry for this slightly angsty chapter, they'll be smooching soon ;;)))  
> Enjoy this chapter! I'll have the next one out soon.  
> The song today is "this is home" by cave town

Lance was bitter.

Completely and awfully engulfed in bitterness.

And what could he say? the root of it all was his gnawing shame in him that let such a beautiful man see him as a sniveling mess.

Not to mention his snotty ex who most likely lived off of his pain. He really had not choice to close himself back into that horrid office and let Lotor berate him cruelly again.

  
The tears were a mistake, surely. He'd make sure not to do it again, lest someone (like Keith) see him.  
And so he couldn't help but avoid Keith whenever he saw him.

He'd duck behind counters at the coffee shop and force hunk to the front. He'd hide himself at Lotor's amongst the hungry customers in the serving spaces, immersing himself into his work where he knew Keith wouldn't be when their shifts happened to be together.

And slowly but surely Keith face would morph from something concerned and sad to just pissed. This just made lance pissed and avoid him more in retaliation. What did Keith even care about him anyhow? He was the one that disappeared and avoided him first. And so their passive aggressive dance of avoidance begun.

"Hunk cover me again he should be here soon."

  
Hunk slapped his dish rag against the counter with a heavy sigh.  
"And why cant you just, I don't know, talk to the guy? Serve him coffee maybe? Thats your job?" He turned away from lance and moved purposefully toward the back.

  
"I can't do that, I found out he's a beautiful asshole." Ok, that might've been a bit far but he was really very against seeing him today.

  
"What'd he do?" A curious pidge chirped from over their laptop monitor, as they swung their legs lazily on a high stool.

  
"That's... Not important he just is." Lance huffed indignantly.

  
"I won't cover you unless you give a good reason, bud," hunk smirks "or is he an ex already?"

  
"What?? No! He just..." Lance decided it wasn't a good idea to bring up his other job. "Glares at me 24/7"

  
"Uhhh maybe because you avoid him 24/7" pidge shut their computer suddenly. "By the way, you stopped checking your email, I sent you some cool coupons I found online."

  
"Don't tell me they're for potatoes." Lance remarked coyly.  
"No, actually, half of them are yogurts and icecream."

  
Before lance could reply (because what substantial meal could he possibly make with unhealthy dairy products alone) the front door opened suddenly and its chipper bell jangled across the cafe.

  
"Shit shit shit, hunk my pal I love you please do me the favor."

  
"How about..no."

  
"Hunk!"

  
"I love you but this is stupid."

  
"Pidge!"

  
"Don't look at me, I don't even work here."

  
"Why don't you pidge? You're always here anyhow." Hunk cut in and Allura muttered agreement from the back.

  
"I don't know, just hanging."  
Then Keith was there, looking as smoking hot as ever and sporting the most pompous smirk as if saying 'you thought you could avoid me forever?'

  
Lance felt riled by the hypocrisy.  
This was that man with the timid eyes and the quiet demeanor he could relate to a kindergartner the first day he bluntly ordered. Lance wished he knew to avoid him then, at least before he could raise lances hopes and then drop them at that party and the weeks after.

"Keith."

  
"Alejandro."

  
Was he saying his full name to make him angry? It made lances blood boil.

  
"I just don't understand how their relationship did a one eighty like this," he heard pidge whisper from the back faintly, where they all snuck off to join Allura in watching their exchange.

  
"Are they gonna fight? I thought lance had no enemies." Hunk whispered back.

  
"What do you want?"

  
Keith started to drum his fingers on the counter "coffee."

  
"But why do you keep coming here?"

  
"Why do you keep avoiding me?"

"You avoided me first!"

  
By then they were both shouting and everyone in the cafe froze to stare.

  
"I'll get that coffee." Lance muttered as he pivoted in his spot.  
Silence ensued between ten for tense seconds but Keith never left the counter, and lance could feel the holes being burned in the back of his neck with his stare.

  
When lance turned again to (In a manner lance hoped would be perceived as coldly) pass the coffee to the other man, Keith spoke up abruptly.

  
"Look, we're starting off on the wrong foot."

  
"Actually I believe it was the right foot we started on, Keith, but you were the one who decided to foot it out of that party."

  
"Foot it out..?"

  
"I was trying to be smart- whatever just take your coffee." Lance truly hadnt been all that mad about the party ditching, in fact back then he only wistfully imagined Keith sweeping him off his feet after.

But looking back on it he could convince himself that Keith wasn't someone he wanted to be around. That suited lance just fine, especially now that Keith glared at him so much.

  
"I'm.. Sorry I left."

  
"Apology accepted."

  
There was not more silence before Keith parted with the counter with his coffee, steaming in a noticeably mark-less cup.

  
After he was gone, lance could hear pidge let out a long and low whistle.

  
"Wow," Pidge muttered.  
Hunk silently wrung his towel out, stepping beside lance. "That might've been the most awkward encounter ever. Care to explain?"

  
Giving up, the graceful man slumped himself across the counter and sighed heavily.  
"Honestly? I don't know. Maybe I'm just mad that he's mad at me for avoiding him when he avoided me after that party?" Lance turned his head to face his friends, now including Allura the three of them hovered cautiously around him.

"That sounds complicated," Allura mused, pulling a lock of nearly white blond hair, "but how do you know he was avoiding you? Perhaps he was busy?"

  
"But he used to visit _every_ _day_ , Allura!! Every! day! At six! And then after he disappeared at the party he didn't show up again until-" lance stopped his rant in its tracks, pausing himself before he spilled about his secret job an the embarrassing encounter the two had shared. "Well, Pluto said he was definitely avoiding me so it must be true."

  
"Pluto?" Allura murmured.

  
"Online friend" pidge stage whispered back.

  
"I didn't think you were the type to hold a grudge, in fact you didn't even get mad at that prick that dropped in a couple weeks ago and tried to forcefully ask you out, even when he tried following you after." Hunk still looked like he was fuming about it, but to lance it didn't really matter. That was a stranger, Keith was his crush. And lance, thinking deeper about it... Wasn't angry.

  
He was _embarrassed_.

It was a rare occurrence that anyone saw or brought out real tears from lance. It felt shameful to him.

  
He was saved from spilling that though as the cafe door was shoved open and a gaggle of loud teenage girls flooded in like a cloud of bees.

  
"I got the register, guys." Lance announced.

  
"We'll I'm going to use these coupons if you aren't, lance! See you at home." Pidge gathered their laptop and assorted hard drives and plug ins.

  
"See you!" The three others called back.

_________

**Lance**  
I'm so tired and emotions are so confusing, please tell me how to adult.

**Pluto**  
Unfortunately I'm trying to figure that out myself

**Lance**  
Ughhhh

  **Pluto**

Hey I got a... Well an embarrassing question..?

**Lance**  
Shoot

**Pluto** is typing...

**Lance**  
Bang

**Pluto**  
What?

**Lance**  
No one ever does the bang thing when I say shoot so I did it myself! Now actually ask the question!!

**Pluto**  
O o f sorry

**Pluto**  
Well..  
What do you do if you think you really made someone mad but your natural reflex to that is to get mad in retaliation?

**Lance**  
Huh. Well I think the best thing to do is give it a little space? Take some deep breaths before any encounters. Also, a good way to resolve something like that is with things like gifts

**Pluto**  
Oh! Like what

**Lance**  
Maybe food? A card? Something that'll make them feel better but you don't have to talk to them while you're trying to reconcile.

**Pluto**  
Wow. Thanks lance, you're a great friend.

**Lance**  
You are too cutie ;))))

**Pluto**  
I don't fmvkvkb

**Lance**  
Good, I broke you mwahahaha

**Lance**  
Well then I have a question of my own

**Pluto**  
Shoot

**Lance**  
BANG!!!!

**Lance**  
OMG THANK YOU

**Pluto**  
You're very welcome

**Lance**  
Ok so this is weird and complicated but what do you do if you're really embarrassed about something that happened so you acted rude to the person who saw it?

**Pluto**  
Uh.. Well maybe try talking it out with them? Tell them how you feel?

**Lance**  
Good idea

**Pluto**  
I hope it works out for you

**Lance**  
You too buddy  <3

 


	10. Oof, oof, and oof

This isn't a chapter I'm sorry!! Ok so this WILL get continued shortly but for now it's on a brief Hiatus. The reason being is that I got super attached to my plot for my other fanfiction I'm writing; "Save the Date." I'm super excited about the ending for that one that I just can't stop writing!!! It's because I've already written so much as I had the whole thing laid out for me (go check it out if you want to! It's also klance and don't e fooled by the angsty tags it's fluffy!!!) thanks for all the love so far on this, take on mind the break won't last long <3

I'll see y'all soon! (Or in "Dave the date" if you hop on over there!)

 

**Author's Note:**

> see you in the next chapter!  
> my soundcloud > https://soundcloud.com/licorice123


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